


Unsure

by JeckParadox



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Alternian Empire, Character Death, Gen, Hemospectrum, Multi, One Shot, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 10:50:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1466719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeckParadox/pseuds/JeckParadox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat knew he was going to die. He thought, perhaps, it would happen earlier on. But he always knew that today was the final deadline on Karkat's life.<br/>The day all trolls of a certain age were shipped off world; to conquer, to kill, to colonize. He would never do those things.<br/>Because today is the day his blood color will be found out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unsure

Karkat frowned, shifting in place. It was already too late. 

The drones were everywhere now, he had already seen four trolls trying to run, to hide in the wilderness in the world of their childhood rather than be taken away for their military service.

He cursed his past self. For deciding to march all the way here, without any hope. But doing it anyway. Kanaya was staying, as a Jade blood she was destined to help give life to future generations of trolls. She was one of the few who knew. She had offered to hide him. They all had. 

Gamzee stated he would be culled for the toxins in his system if he showed his face, and had taken to hiding in the caves, settling on the life of an exile, stealing sopor from children for, if the clown was lucky, thousands of sweeps more. 

Gamzee had offered to share that life with him. 

Karkat said no.

Kanaya said she could hide him in her hive, with her lusus. It was not unheard of, for Jades to keep on their lovers to stay on-world with them. She offered him moirallegiance, a chance to live in her shadow on Alternia. To live peacefully, surrounded by Wrigglers in the caves. 

Karkat said no.

Nepeta knew, she offered to teach him to hunt, to survive in the wild, to find caves perfectly capable of being lived in. Every day would be a struggle for survival, and in a fit of emotion, she offered to struggle with him, as a matesprit, before Equius made clear that no such thing was going to happen.

They couldn't tell him, of course.

And Nepeta wouldn't leave Equius for Karkat.

Even if Karkat had said yes. 

Karkat said no.

Terezi knew, and she loved it. He almost regretted telling her, the way she would constantly get in his personal space, sniffing his eyes, licking every paper cut and scratch, he regretted not telling her earlier. 

She didn't offer to stay with him, but she promised she would come back, and offered her hive as a place to stay, guarded by her loving dragon lusus, who kindly agreed to protecting him. 

Karkat said no.

Sollux had other methods, and the moment he found out about Karkat's blood, he accepted it, and began thinking of ways to let Karkat survive. He contemplated hacking the Empire's computer network, to assign Karkat another blood color, at least digitally. He considered trying to change the color of Karkat's blood. To muddy it somehow. But he didn't know how. He worked for nights, and even days, trying to figure out some way to change Karkat's blood.

After the third day without Sollux sleeping

Karkat said no.

He revealed it to Feferi, she promised him resources, special privileges, she promised that if she survived her own trial against the Empire, she would make it safe for him. She was surprisingly sympathetic. She too, was living the life a troll where no one else in the world had her blood color, and didn't know what to with her. If he came with her, alongside her to the ship, as her aid, the drones wouldn't dare attack him.

If she survived her battle with the condescension, he would be safe, forever under her immortal protection. If she failed, he would have the privilege of a royal culling.

He was sorely tempted but

Karkat said no.

He did not tell the others.

Tavros would be unable to help him.

Equius would be compelled to either love or kill him by however he interpreted the Hemospectrum.

Vriska would probably figure something out, and hold him in debt for the rest of his natural life. Or just kill him.

Eridan... he just didn't know. But he was too good with a harpoon and too hemospectrum-centered to risk it.

 

He didn't honestly know why he said no.

He didn't want to rely on his friends for the rest of his life, his existence being a hindrance at best and resulting in their deaths at worst.

He didn't want to hide in the wilderness, having dragged down one of his friends with him, to never again make a difference, forever stealing from children with a greater chance to live than he. 

He didn't want to risk it all, on some gambit.

He didn't want to die. 

And so, with no options left. He marched to his death. 

 

The lines were long, but getting shorter. The drones separated them into different lines based on where they had been living. 

Somewhere in a different line, Equius and Vriska would be standing together. Somewhere else Nepeta, Tavros and Sollux, and in another line Feferi and Eridan. 

The lines were getting shorter. His breath became more panicked. He was afraid he would be discovered early, torn apart by the trolls next to him rather than even getting the dignity of being culled. 

Why didn't he become Kanaya's moirail?

The lines got shorter. He saw a troll, a blueblood, one who would get infinitely more mercy than he ever would from the Empire, get culled for arriving drunk on sopor.

Why didn't he run away with Gamzee? Or Nepeta? Live in the caves?

The lines got shorter. 

Why didn't he let Sollux try to mutate him back into the spectrum?

The lines got shorter. 

Why didn't he join Feferi, to live his last days in luxury even if she failed, and if she succeeded, a brand new life?

The drone sniffed him for chemicals, for diseases. He was clean. He was healthy. He moved on. The yellow blood behind him had a contagious disease, and was culled. 

This was the first time he had seen an adult. The horns were massive, the aura, impressive and intimidating. The adult stood high in the moonlight, letting his shadow cover the front half of his body, a black silhouette of a troll giant.

" _What's your color_?"

" **Red**." He didn't stutter.

The adult made a sound from his throat and held out a pad. Karkat saw the indents and knew what it was for. 

He placed his hand in the groove, he felt a pinch. The machine made a sound, and the adult shifted from his intimidating, dark attitude, to one of utter confusion. 

" _The hell_?" He brought the screen closer to his teal eyes to look at the result, reaching for a culling fork. ".... _Lime_?!"

"... **what**?"

" _You're a freaking limeblood_?"

" **No! I'm red! Candy, cherry-flavored @#$INg RED.** " He didn't know why he was clarifying. Lime wasn't exactly on the spectrum either. But for some reason, he felt it was important they got it right.

" _...heh... kid, you should have been culled twice over since wrigglerhood for that blood. There isn't even a lusus for that color... I'm surprised you lived through a single night, let alone up to now._ "

Why was he talking?

Why did this matter?

Was he still going to be-

He saw the adult twitch, and a culling fork appeared in his massive, shadowed hand. 

" _What's your name kid? I have a feeling the Condescension will want to know about you._ "

" **Karkat Vantas.** "

" _Huh._ "

And the fork came down.

And the candy-red, deadly, Alternian sun seemed to shine.

Art by Kaeriah on DA. http://kaeriah.deviantart.com/art/Karkat-Red-Eyes-273142312

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really sure why I wrote this. I just had the random idea, and I started writing. I don't usually like writing sad stuff, and I don't usually write for Karkat. Still not sure about this, to be honest. I appreciate comments.


End file.
